Solving wicked problems of the future ocean

5 ECTS | On-site in Turku | 1-30 August 2024 with contact teaching 5-16 August 2024

Solving wicked problems of the future ocean course aims to introduce the students to some of the current ocean-related wicked problems, related to e.g. climate change, biodiversity changes and pollution. In the course we combine knowledge from marine ecology, governance, maritime business and cultural studies in a interdisciplinary way that seeks to find and discuss sustainable solutions for a marine and maritime life.

The aim or the course is to introduce the students to ocean-related wicked problems and to discuss solutions that enable sustainable coexistence between marine and maritime life and the modern society.

A ‘wicked problem’ is a challenging and urgent problem with numerous causes and effects, for instance climate change, or eutrophication of water bodies. Their solution involves a number of different stakeholders with divergent views, which makes these problems inherently difficult to solve.

In this course, we will focus on what the marine wicked problems are and how they can be tackled in an interdisciplinary, science-based way, combining perspectives from marine ecology, maritime business, marine governance and law, and cultural studies.

The course is given on-site and includes short lectures, assignments, team work, exercises, as well as meetings with relevant stakeholders.

Learning outcomes

Upon completing this course, the participant will be able to:

• Describe and exemplify what a marine wicked problem is
• Explain basic socio-ecological and socio-technical aspects of marine wicked problems and solutions
• Integrate different approaches to address marine wicked problems and solutions
• Apply an interdisciplinary approach to analyse and understand wicked problems related to the sea and argue for its importance in solving the problems
• Relate sustainable development needs to marine wicked problems and solutions.